Los Angeles Times: WellPoint, United Healthcare accused of illegal actions

[marmar]

WellPoint, United Healthcare accused of illegal actions
The insurers pressured employees to lobby against healthcare reform, Consumer Watchdog alleges.

By Carol J. Williams

September 3, 2009


The nation's two largest health insurers have been pressuring employees to lobby against healthcare reform in Congress in violation of a California law against coerced political activity, a consumer group alleged Wednesday.

Consumer Watchdog in Santa Monica has asked California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown to investigate its claim that UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc. pushed workers to write their elected officials, attend town hall meetings and enlist family and friends to ensure an overhaul that matches their interests.

Christine Gasparac, a spokeswoman in Brown's office, said the call for an investigation was being reviewed.

In a website message to the company's 75,000 employees, UnitedHealth's executive vice president and chief of medical affairs, Reed Tuckson, said he had "strong concerns" with some of the proposals and called for a bipartisan plan -- shorthand for heeding Republican opposition to any government-run option. He urged workers to contact an "advocacy specialist" with the company's lobbying group to "educate and assist" them in getting involved, including during working hours.

WellPoint, whose Anthem Blue Cross unit is the largest for-profit insurer in California and employs 8,000, took a more overtly negative tack. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insurers-reform3-2009sep03,0,2545747.story

[FiveGoodMen]

1. There's a shocker!

[slipslidingaway]

2. knr nt

[TimesSqCowboy]

3. All of this funded by premiums, of course.

[WeDidIt]

4. They probably already calculated the fine into their total cost

To oppose HCR and every penny is already included in the premium increases for next year.

[strategery blunder]

5. Pull their license to do business in the state.

:grr:

Since they've already calculated fines into "just teh cost of bidness," yanking them out of the country's largest health insurance market is the only way to get their attention. :grr: